Weirdest boss you have had and why? (Bit of fun - let's see how times have changed)

I feel like I have had way more than my fair share of weird bosses, up until recently I was starting to think that there was something about me that was attracting them.

In the not too distant past (i.e. last year) my boss who was the General Manager would call me "young lady", expect me to make the tea for all the leadership team meetings, despite the fact that I was also a member of the leadership team and take minutes in all the meetings and keep my opinions to myself as that was what a "young lady" did at work. He also liked to smell my perfume, by actually putting his nose on my arm and taking a BIG sniff. All but one of the leadership team where men and along with the regular and awful inappropriate jokes and comments I was constantly treated as a 1950's secretary by all of them, it was awful.

Needless to say I stopped wearing perfume and found a new job, only to end up with a much worse boss who not only hurled abuse but also office equipment, like staplers, pens, hole-punches etc. whenever he was unhappy with me. He also would double check anything I said about HR by looking it up on the CIPD or Acas website. I lasted three months.

Thankfully now I am in a much better place with much nicer people, where HR is respected and appreciated, but I sure had to kiss a lot of frogs to get here :)

It does make me wonder though, my experiences are recent as are a lot of others in this thread, how is this still happening in 2019?

I feel like I have had way more than my fair share of weird bosses, up until recently I was starting to think that there was something about me that was attracting them.

In the not too distant past (i.e. last year) my boss who was the General Manager would call me "young lady", expect me to make the tea for all the leadership team meetings, despite the fact that I was also a member of the leadership team and take minutes in all the meetings and keep my opinions to myself as that was what a "young lady" did at work. He also liked to smell my perfume, by actually putting his nose on my arm and taking a BIG sniff. All but one of the leadership team where men and along with the regular and awful inappropriate jokes and comments I was constantly treated as a 1950's secretary by all of them, it was awful.

Needless to say I stopped wearing perfume and found a new job, only to end up with a much worse boss who not only hurled abuse but also office equipment, like staplers, pens, hole-punches etc. whenever he was unhappy with me. He also would double check anything I said about HR by looking it up on the CIPD or Acas website. I lasted three months.

Thankfully now I am in a much better place with much nicer people, where HR is respected and appreciated, but I sure had to kiss a lot of frogs to get here :)

It does make me wonder though, my experiences are recent as are a lot of others in this thread, how is this still happening in 2019?

Hi Ashling

Like you, last year I, too, had to put up with this. I was alo the only female in the senior management team and I also had to always take the minutes....the commercial manager was vile. We had a couple of run ins. One where he physically put the palm of his hand an inch away from my face and shouted "DESIST LISA" in the middle of the office and in front of the boss....needless to say, he got a mouthful from me but was never reprimanded for it officially....

As I said, there are other recent incidents I faced that are literally too disgusting to post here.

Your experience is truly shocking.

Lisa

Is anyone at the CIPD reading this thread?

I've just searched MeToo on the main site to see if I could find a reaction from the CIPD to this movement. There are plenty of magazine articles and fact sheets, but I can't see that we as an institute are doing anything about this.I can't see a position paper or press release.

Obviously, this thread is purely anecdotal, but shouldn't the CIPD be surveying members to see if we are experiencing sexual harassment or the kind of everyday sexism Ashling and Lisa describe, or how much we encounter in our HR roles and the receptivity of our employers to doing something about it?

@Lisa - you have mentioned more than once that you have experienced something/some things too serious to raise here. Are you battling along alone or have you got support?

And again, shouldn't the CIPD be offering support?

Hi Elizabeth

Thank you. This was happening in my previous role so I am no longer having issues.

I think you have raised some very interesting and valid questions regarding the CIPD and assistance/support they may/will offer.

Lisa

Couldn't agree more @Elizabeth. Our roles often bring responsibility for dealing with harassment that our staff have suffered, and handling it professionally but firmly. It's often a gap for HR staff who have no one who can/will similarly champion their cause when harassment happens. The CIPD could play a vital role here.

I'm hoping that Steve or Johanna is monitoring the Communities and can get someone to respond.

Lisa - I'm very glad you are out of harm's way now.

I've had this before and I've made a point of saying 'are you really asking the only woman in the room to make the tea/take the notes?'. Fortunately, my team are actually enlightened and completely (and apologetically) took my point and the rule soon became 'the last one to the meeting takes the notes'.

The low level sexism is disheartening enough but I'm truly saddened by the awful frightening experiences that so many of us have experienced.

Thank you. That is kind of you.

Not that I would ever condone their behaviour, but I CAN and DID more than "hold my own". I guess I (and nobody else) shouldn't have ever had to....

Lisa